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Friday, May 8, 2009

Well Summer is in the air for many of you, although it is just the beginning of Winter for me here in New Zealand....Grrrhhh!...and Brrrhhh! I just got to thinking today of how long it has been since I have done any blogging.....too long in fact. But I have needed some time for myself and some of my hobbies, and I have also just completed and extensive course over the past year in Medical Transcription. So I hope to be back to a more regular schedule now and look forward to doing a bit more blogging as well. Many thanks to so many of you who have faithfully kept up with the various RSS feeds on my Blog in my absence. I hope you have had some enjoyment along the way.

Well speaking of Summer I thought I would pass along some very interesting remedies I recently found for sunburn. It is that time of the year for many of you who love to go out and bake in the sun. Although I am definitely not a beach person, I can personally attest to the fact (and my Dermatologist would vouche for me on this too) that I have had skin cancer seven times. I spend little time outdoors in the sun except for driving and getting to and from my destination. I have to be so careful as I am extremely faired skin and burn to a crisp in minutes...no kidding. So the outdoors is not my cup of tea. I also heard not to long ago that New Zealand where I live has the highest level of UV rays in the world, and even sun in the winter months can be detrimental to the skin. Anyway I am a great believer now in prevention. But the the following are some fascinating remedies if you wind up with a sunburn....so there is something here for everyone. But be good to yourself and prevent sunburn.....AND various forms of skin cancer simply by prevention. Read about it here.

It is good to be back!

Cheers From Patricia

PREVENTION AND REMEDIES FOR SUNBURN

Prevention is the best remedy here, if you can. Long-termresults from excessive exposure to the sun, such as skincancer and wrinkled skin, can be avoided with properprecautions. One of the best preventatives is to use a sun-screen with an SPF of 30 that offers protection against bothUVA and UVB rays. You can get as much sun sightseeing asbaking at the beach, so use sunscreen whenever you areoutdoors.Use an aloe vera lotion containing a sunblock. This will cutout 90% of the burning rays and allow 75% of the tanning raysto reach the skin.To speed healing take the following supplements for a few days after getting burned: 1,000 mg of vitamin C, 400 I.U. ofvitamin E, 15 mg of beta carotene, and 1-2 tablespoons (or about 3 capsules per teaspoon) of flaxseed oil, an essential fatty acid.Caution: don't ever cover a sunburn that is blistered or open with an ointment, oil, salve or butter, for it will make the area susceptible to infection.

Remedies:

Aloe:

Take as many leaves as necessary from an aloe plant;refrigerate; peel off top layer of leaves; apply the side of the leaf with flesh exposed directly to the sunburn. Other remedies use aloe vera juice: for mild to medium sunburn, keep the affected area moist with aloe vera juice. Repeat frequently.This will reduce the pain and the amount of peeling. Aloe vera ointment works well, too, as it contains oil and will not evaporate. For a severe sunburn, keep the area moist at all times with aloe vera juice. Since aloe vera is an astringent, you may want to use aloe vera ointment or some sort of oil, such as olive or baby. Aloe is very effective in relieving pain and inflammation. Combine aloe juice with ½ the amount of vitamin E. Dab on thesunburn. Vitamin E is a good moisturizer.

Apple cider vinegar:

Apply apple cider vinegar to the burn with a cottonball, or make a cooling compress for a large area to relieve the pain. Keep the skin moistened. This remedy will prevent blistering and peeling.

Aspirin:

Aspirin kills the pain and reduces inflammation and redness of a sunburn. It short-circuits the whole sunburn process. It must be taken within 24 hours of getting sunburned. Aspirin is preferable to ibuprofen or acetaminophen because it is less stressful on the liver and kidneys. Or IbuProfen Not tylenol...it doesn't reduce imflamation...but does help with the pain

Baking soda:

Dissolve some baking soda in water and make acompress using a clean cloth. Another remedy is to add 1/2 cup of baking soda to a tepid bath and soak. Instead of drying the affected area with a towel, let it air dry. Baking soda is cooling and will help the skin retain moisture.

Baths:

Add 20 drops of each of lavender and chamomile essential oils to a tubful of cool water and soak for 10 minutes.

Cucumber:

Rub sunburned area with fresh cucumber slices. They are very cool and will soothe the area.

Epsom salts:

Dissolve epsom salts in water and make a compressusing a clean cloth.

Ice:

Apply ice or cold water to the burned area. This will stop the burning process and cool the skin.

Lavender:

Mix 20-25 drops of lavender oil in one cup of water and bathe the sunburned area.

Lemon Water:

Mix the juice of three lemons into two cups of cold water and sponge on the sunburn. The lemon will cool the burn, act as a disinfectant, and will promote healing of the skin.

Milk:

Make a compress of whole milk (or buttermilk) and apply to the burned area for 20 minutes; repeat every two to four hours. Wash the milk off so you won't smell sour! The fat content of the milk is soothing for burns.

Oatmeal:

Put some oatmeal in tepid bath water, soak for a few minutes, then air dry yourself.

Oil:

Cover the area with cooking oil and sprinkle powdered ginger on the oil. This will promote healing.

Onion:

Bruise an onion and rub on the burn.

Peppermint:

Apply peppermint oil to the sunburned skin. You can also make a mild peppermint infusion and use it as a wash to cool the sunburn.

Potato:

Grate a potato and apply it to the burned area. The starch will cool and soothe the burn.

Shower:

Take a warm shower to draw out the heat of your sunburn. The warm water will increase circulation to the area while hydrating it, thereby speeding the healing process.

Tea:

Make some tea, cool, and apply to the burn. While any tea may be beneficial, mint tea, such as peppermint or spearmint are especially good. The teas have tannins that help the healing process.

Yogurt:

Apply plain yogurt with live cultures, let it stand for a few minutes, then rinse off under cool water. Another remedy using yogurt is to mix equal parts of yogurt and mashed strawberries and apply to the sunburned area for 15 minutes. Rinse with cool water.

Caution! You may have sun poisoning if you experience chills,fever, or get blisters or a rash. See your physician!